The Vince Russo Cult (Links removed)

[TNARICK]

I REMOVED ALL LINKS I HAD IN THE POST, SORRY ABOUT THAT

WHO ARE WE

We are a secret society of anti-traditionalist wrestling fans who have been waiting for Vince Russo to gain 100% control of the TNA Writing before we spoke out.

HOW DO I JOIN THE CULT

You praise and worship anything that our God Vince Russo does. He is the most creative man in the business and is the reason that we had stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. You help spread the word and fix the reputation the evil purists have placed on Vince Russo throughout the internet.

WHY IS VINCE RUSSO HATED

Vince Mcmahon payed dirt sheet writers and columnists like Dave Meltzer, Lance Storm, and Mark Madden to go around and spread false information about Russo because he knew he was the reason that the WWF/WWE is still alive. Vince Mcmahon wants to take credit for everything that Russo has done for him and will do his best to bury him.

WHY NOW?

With Jeff Jarrett and Dutch Mantell out of the way finally Vince Russo can rise and show the world what kind of show he can write. He will push younger talent, make cutting edge storylines with drama, add comedy, anything can happen, title matches on impact, character development, a overall better product. Join us today! We are now coming forth to save everyone who has been brainwashed!

--
Leaders of the Cult: TNARICK & Marty2Hotty

Division Leaders: Batmanofprowrestling, Coach, RAWISWAR, Radicalz4, Siakalypse
--

Common Misconceptions:

Dave Meltzer will tell you that giving away big matches on television is a bad thing and will effect the buyrates for PPVs.

TNARICK will tell you the truth! When you have millions of more eyes on your television product then you will have more people to advertise your PPVs and Merchandise to. Why settle advertising to the 1.0 viewers that will watch a wrestling based program when you can have millions more to promote and sell your PPVs and Merchandise to.

Dave Meltzer will tell you that David Arquette as WCW Champion was bad for business.

TNARICK will tell you the truth! David Arquette winning the WCW Title was one of the most entertaining things that took place in the entire history of the business. Casual fans around the world loved it. WCW and Russo were going through a stage of replacing the old tradition fans with casual fans who are the masses.

Dave Meltzer will tell you that wrestling needs to be simple. Good guy vs. bad guy.

TNARICK will tell you the truth! Clear cut good guy vs. bad guy is not interesting in 2009. People want to see reality in the characters and feuds! People have more sides to them then straight good guy and bad guy.

Dave Meltzer will tell you that shoots and taking shots at the WWE is a bad thing and makes you look second rate.

TNARICK will tell you the truth! The reality in shoots and worked shoots make a fake scripted wrestling show draw in the casual viewer. When you are the #2 promotion you have to be aiming at the number one and taking shots. It brings in that reality because everyone knows that TNA wants to take the spot and will take the spot with the help of Russo.

Welcome to New Yawk

Open Mic time!

--

Anyone requesting interviews or wanting to make donations just post a reply

Recommended DVDs for new members of the cult: Ultimate Insider's Vince Russo & Ed Ferrera

Recommended Books for new members of the cult: Vince Russo Forgiven

If you are wanting to be apart of this please say so in your reply and I will give you some special details.

 

[The Hiphopapotamus]

Seriously, A vince russo cult. I don't really give a damn about him. He's a creative writer. Personally I care a lot more about the actual wrestlers. I dunno,maybe because it's wrestling. But when it comes to creative, he needs to stop rehashing old WCW ideas, because it's really only huting rather than hindering TNA. If he gets booking control, TNA might improve, but it could also disprove. He could start putting the old wrestlers at the top, and bury the young talent. And that would be disasterous.

But a cult is not needed for anyone. Especially not writers.

 

[Steve001]

What a great thread! haha...

I've been a Russo mark for years! Going way back to his Vic Venom/Vicious Vic radio/magazine persona's...

I truly believe he has been overlooked as the main man behind the 'Attitude' era in the WWF. The whole concept of 'Attitude' was Russo's idea, As Vinnie Mac's right hand man, he was able to take the reigns of a struggling WWF that couldn't draw flies to a shit factory and was averaging 1.5 - 2.0's and within 3 years the product was averaging 5's and 6's in the Nielson's and selling out the finest arena's in the States and abroad...

Anyone who pisses and moans and claims that Russo 'killed' WCW is a total fucking idiot. Period.

Go ahead and relive some Nitro's from July - August '99 then check out Nitro from October, November and December '99 and tell me Russo can't book an entertaining, progressive and cutting edge Wrestling show!...The Nielson's also went up 3 whole ratings points in the 3-4 month period of his first reign too...

The main thing that sets Russo apart from other writers is his attention to detail...All of those memorable promos, feuds and storylines from the WWF's golden age (1997-1999) were penned by Russo. Fair enough, Vinnie Mac did obviously oversee and contribute to the scripts but then again, he still does today and the product is a worthless piece of shit....sorry WWE marks.

Hell, it was even Russo's idea to change Raw to Raw Is War and add the red ring ropes etc and make the show more aggressive...Simple things like that are a prime example of Russo's attention to detail I mentioned before.

David Arquette winning the WCW title in May 2000 was Tony Schiavone's idea!!!! He approached Russo at the production meeting that afternoon...

Vince McMahon and the then WWF would have been out of business by '97 if Russo hadn't of gained power and McMahon knows it!

As Konnan said in his excellent RF Shoot: "Russo is a genius"...

 

[info62]

I don't understand this. How do you know what booking decisions were made by Russo? I'm not even talking about the WCW crap. Apparently one of your "leaders" is Marty2Hotty... the guy who used to post constantly post in the TNA IMPACT review thread, saying how certain portions of the show were "classic Russo". And how when any portion of the show that he didn't enjoy came up, he'd bitch that TNA needed to give Russo more control over the show.

I'm not saying that Russo sucks. I'm saying that I don't know and I really don't think you do either. I can't imagine what you'd use any donations for. To build a shrine to the guy in your basement?

But then again I can't imagine anybody donating money to this. I really can't believe you called a member of TNA creative your god. I'm in shock.

 

[BradXXX]

I think it'd be pretty neat if Russo was given the book, and he got them to bring Konnan back and reform the original LAX... The original LAX is one of the best ideas TNA ever had and it was killed off when Konnan left. I guess I'm just dreaming there.

 

[mrarmageddon]

Russo saved the WWF from what would have been a timely death as they'd been making rubbish TV from the start of the 90s....fact they made it to 96 for lucky.

Russo made Nitro entertaining again with the show gaining around a half million viewers at the same time as Raw lost the same number.

Russo will take the TNA rating up even further as long as he is in full control, mark my words.

Russo rules wrestling.

 

[travistragic]

At first I thought maybe this was a joke thread. I guess maybe it isn't. TNA stopped having solid wrestling shows years ago, now the main event mafia have all but extinguished any possibility of an enjoyable upper card, the only thing that is consistently worth watching on Impact are the knockouts. David Arquette winning the world title may have been Schiavone's idea, but Russo went with it, we also had shit like the fat chick thriller and Oklahoma and Russo's title run.

People keep going back to Attitude like it was some magical renaissance period of professional wrestling, but besides being notable for the rise of Stone Cold, the Rock, and DX, alot of it was crude, stupid, immature and devoid of actual wrestling content.

Main point: as a wrestling "purist", someone interested in actual wrestling matches and who values titles, it is my opinion that Russo has done more harm than good to the actual product; Short, shitty matches, pointless and arbitrary title changes, nonsensical face/heel turns, lowbrow humor, and rehashed storylines don't offer anything to anybody who actually appreciates and/or enjoys wrestling.

 

[Final Verdict]

What a great thread! haha...

I've been a Russo mark for years! Going way back to his Vic Venom/Vicious Vic radio/magazine persona's...

I truly believe he has been overlooked as the main man behind the 'Attitude' era in the WWF. The whole concept of 'Attitude' was Russo's idea, As Vinnie Mac's right hand man, he was able to take the reigns of a struggling WWF that couldn't draw flies to a shit factory and was averaging 1.5 - 2.0's and within 3 years the product was averaging 5's and 6's in the Nielson's and selling out the finest arena's in the States and abroad...

Anyone who pisses and moans and claims that Russo 'killed' WCW is a total fucking idiot. Period.

Go ahead and relive some Nitro's from July - August '99 then check out Nitro from October, November and December '99 and tell me Russo can't book an entertaining, progressive and cutting edge Wrestling show!...The Nielson's also went up 3 whole ratings points in the 3-4 month period of his first reign too...

The main thing that sets Russo apart from other writers is his attention to detail...All of those memorable promos, feuds and storylines from the WWF's golden age (1997-1999) were penned by Russo. Fair enough, Vinnie Mac did obviously oversee and contribute to the scripts but then again, he still does today and the product is a worthless piece of shit....sorry WWE marks.

Hell, it was even Russo's idea to change Raw to Raw Is War and add the red ring ropes etc and make the show more aggressive...Simple things like that are a prime example of Russo's attention to detail I mentioned before.

David Arquette winning the WCW title in May 2000 was Tony Schiavone's idea!!!! He approached Russo at the production meeting that afternoon...

Vince McMahon and the then WWF would have been out of business by '97 if Russo hadn't of gained power and McMahon knows it!

As Konnan said in his excellent RF Shoot: "Russo is a genius"...

Oh yes the great moments in WCW with Russo booking like.

1. Over 20 world title changes in less than 1 year?

2. Putting the once beloved Cruiserweight title on his co-booker Ed Fererra, and a WOMAN wrestler Madusa!

3. THe horrendous greater power storyline?

4. Hugh G. Rection? Yeah naming wrestlers after a boner , just brilliant.

5. Turning Goldberg heel? complete ruining the most over character in the business at the time?

6. Wait don't forget he made himself champ, just to turn around the next week and relinquish it. Just so it could be the 4th title change that month.

7. My favorite, actually thinking Jeff Jarrett was a main event draw.

8. WaIt more genious, how about the VIAGRA ON A POLE MATCH?? Yeah Vince Russo really helped the young talented Billy Kidman out there.

9. So to call this guy a genious or others stupid for the fact your giving him credit because the Stone Cold Steve Austin persona blew up big time and people indentified with his middle finger waiving, swearing, can't stand authority character is complete bs. WWF was borrowing aspects from ECW and the WCW at the time with the wanna be NWO called D-X.

10, So what if Schiavonne an announcer had an idea, didn't mean Russo should actually do it. He was in charge not Tony for christ sakes.

 

[TheHardyBoyz]

Final Verdict Has A Good Agrument Here, I Mean In The End When WCW Was At Its Diying End, Russo Made Alot Of Mistakes, He Putted The Wrong People To Be World Champs Like himself,Daivd Aquatte Or Even Okalahoma As A Cursierweight? Let's Face It, Everyone Knew That WCW Wasn't Going To Last With Russo In Charge?

 

[TNARICK]

Can I post links to full months were of WCW 2000 episodes from youtube?

Also Steve001 set it to allow you personal messages I need to ask you some things.

 

[Барбоса]

Persoanlly I think that Russo can be good for a wrestling promotion's product but only in the short term. There is no doubt that he had a major impact on the recovery of the WWE in the late 90's and with WCW's challenge to Vince. He drew attention to whatever company he worked for.

However, his style of edgy, in-your-face promotion can very quickly spiral into something that is borderline offensive and not entertaining. Vince continued to follow this kind of theatre after Russo left for WCW and at times still allows this dark, stupid sense of humour to emerge, to the detriment of his own product. We all know what happened to WCW when Russo was left in charge for a prolonged period.

I think that making Russo head booker is a gamble worth taking for TNA. Give him a year long contract with the aim of having some long running feuds, which is something that TNA badly needs. In the short term, he could bring more exposure through some creative writing and story lines so long as someone like Jeff Jarrett or Kurt Angle is there to remind him to leave room for some actual wrestling. In the long term, TNA needs to have a plan beyond Russo that does not include giving full control to Kurt Angle or any other wrestler.

 

[OffTheRopRope]

I would say calling anything related to Vince Russo a 'cult' is perfect terminology. Although one major issue with everything is that there is almost no way of knowing FOR SURE what Vince did or did not do. Meltzer isnt 100% correct all the time, and most wrestling websites are guessing or formulating some hypothesis by hearing one or two tiny bits of possible facts.

Russo does seem to be the guy who, regardless of angle, really shook things up, but also seemingly had a hand on the wheel when WCW was dying. If things keep going in the same direction, he could do it again. But TNA might as well do anything it can to keep the interest, and a madman behind the wheel could be the kick in the ass that is needed.

 

[Steve001]

Ok...First of all, So many people that despise Russo are so quick to note some of his ideas that were admittedly less than stellar! lol...But unless you were actually watching Pro Wrestling at the time, I don't think it's overly fair for someone who wasn't to judge.

When looking back nowadays on older angles and feuds, It's a lot easier to tear them apart and criticize them. The main reason being that the business as a whole has gotten 'smarter'. More Wrestling fans now are smarter to the business than at any other time in the history of it. As a result, So many fans now offer their uneducated opinions on topics they only know about from YouTube videos and forum posts!

The Professional Wrestling landscape was very different in the mid-late 90's compared to today. A lot of the proposed 'shambolic' ideas Russo had during his WCW tenure were not so out of place in Wrestling's climate back then. In hindsight, some of the angles look a little silly, and in some cases totally ******ed, but you can say that about some aspects of the WWF product of that time as well.

The fact of the matter is, Russo is the most successful Professional Wrestling writer of all time! But he's also falsely accused of "killing" WCW too...WCW in the year 2000 was going down the shitter anyway! And all of you know it! It couldn't be salvaged! We've all heard the stories: Too many overpaid, over the hill Wrestlers with large ego's, Huge expenses with little payoffs, Silly storylines and angles involving C-List celebrities etc...

In my opinion, WCW still had a chance in '99, Russo and Ferarra's booking from late September '99 - early January '00 was a HUGE success! Just go back and look at not only the Ratings for Nitro which as I mentioned earlier rose an incredible 3 whole points but also the enthusiastic crowds that started filling WCW's arena's at that time. Contrast that to the very same show (Nitro) from earlier that year, July/August...HUGE difference! Half empty arena's, stale feuds etc...

Now to end this diatribe, here's some of the GOOD ideas that Russo had during his WCW tenure in no particular order:

1: The Filthy Animals push, Rey Jr., Kidman, Konnan and Eddie were doing absolute jack shit on WCW TV in '99, Until Russo made them a stable and made liberal use of their comedic skills whilst keeping the group a threat to the upper-mid card...Anyone remember the 'Kid cam'? And all the funny/entertaining mini angles that spawned from it!?...

2: The reality based/mature themes that Russo brought to the company were a welcome change, after years of childlike, inoffensive angles run by WCW. At that time, Buff saying he'd "...Spray his stuff all over her!" to DDP in reference to Page's wife Kimberly only added to that feud! You could believe Page wanted to kick the shit outta Buff!...

3: The Outsiders Re-unite: WCW fans had been clamoring for a return of Hall & Nash as a unit, Russo obliged, but smartly kept their in-ring time to a minimum, as he used them to further feuds and of course, some slapstick comedy! This produced some HYSTERICAL Russo penned promos from these guys.

4: Also, younger performer's given a chance on TV. Greenhorns such as Lash Leroux were given time to develop on TV mixing it up with more established Wrestlers from the Mid-card region.

5: The Goldberg/Sid Vicious feud of late '99 was expertly booked by Russo, Realising Sid moved with all the speed and grace of a heavily sedated geriatic and couldn't work for shit, and Goldberg never fully learning how to put together a match, their feud's success was based on realistic, believable, fun promos and lots of blood!

6: The rise of Booker T: For years Booker had toiled away in WCW, with his strong work ethic and atheltic abilities whilst less talented Wrestlers were living it up in the V.I.P lounge...Russo gave Booker that chance to shine. Booker finally broke through the glass ceiling thanks to Russo...Although, I will admit to Booker's 1st World Title win being rushed...

7: The utilisation of the Hitman! Bret hadn't done shit in WCW since his lacklustre feuds with the likes of Goldberg and Sting in late '98 and early '99...Realising Bret's untapped potential in WCW, Russo booked an intriguing storyline of the formation of nWo 2000 headed up by Bret, which kicked off in the Hitman's World Title win in the 32 man Title Tournament in Oct/Nov '99...

8: Goldberg was in the beginning stages of becoming 'stale' in late '99...Realising this, Russo gave Goldie a vocabulary for the first time in his career and Bill cut some emotional, intense, killer promos against the likes of Hall, Nash and Sid...

There's many more examples I can give...But I've rambled on long enough anyway...

 

[gd]

The fuck is this? Russo is the reason the WWE exists today? It's a conspiracy? Mark Madden!?!?!? I don't hate Russo, but I certainly would never join a cult praising him. So much of what you are saying is so far off, I don't know where to begin. How about David Arquette as World Champ. It was actually an awful idea. It was a slap in the face to all of the real wrestlers and the fans to put the title on some random celebrity. People are angry today over the guest hosts of Raw simply being involved in the show, imagine the reaction if Freddie Prince, Jr won the WWE Title last week. Giving a celebrity the biggest title in the company is just stupid and pointless.

Even worse than that is your argument that blurring the line between heel and face is a good thing. The reason that TNA has been better lately is because it is completey based around the idea of good v. evil. The fans want someone to cheer for and someone to cheer against. It doesn't matter if it's 2009 or 1989, it's the formula that wrestling was built on. The Mick Foley v. Sting match would've been much better if the fans had an idea of who to root for. If the fans don't know who is a heel and who is a face they get confused and the matches aren't as enjoyable or exciting.